'The Circle with a trident Symbol' - An Unique Megalithic Rock Art Depiction special reference to Rayalaseema Region of Andhra Pradesh

The Rock art occur in various geological formations: sand stone, limestone, granite, shale, etc.¹ Paintings belonging to Megalithic period are noticed both on natural rock surface and on the monuments constructed out of rock material.  Further, the modern rock art research rejects the reliance on stylistic reasoning, i.e. the idea that researchers can reliably identify styles or that stylistic similarity inevitably proves cultural unity. Many of these ideas have been questioned and even rejected, so it would be inappropriate to continue using the guidelines and philosophies developed by these approaches. The rock art in south India also revealed striking regional features in terms of thematic comparison, styles and chronological context in different ecological niches. The rock art corpus of South India is the second largest one outside the Vindhyan formations. Among the symbols depicted, the most interesting shows a circle with a trident. This symbol appears to be the hall mark of Megalithic petroglyph art, although it is not totally absent in the painted forms. The symbol “Circle with Trident” stands out as an unique symbol apart from other geometrical symbols. It has been densely found in many of Megalithic burial sites of Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh when compared with the rest of Indian Megaliths. The placement of the trident strokes depicted in varying positions on the circle; the number may vary in various sites. The trident strokes in some sites are straight; is others they are curved.